The best of 2025

2025 has been a challenging year for most of the 10 teams we are writing about: Bourj FC, Cusco FC, Fayoum SC, Kamonyi FC, 1. FK Svidník, FK Tryavna 1922, Total Soccer, Maaraba SC, Maardu Linnameeskond II FC Starmedia, and Terrace Onions FC. There have been many ups and downs, so it is very difficult to draw an overall conclusion.

The two teams that play at the top level, Bourj FC and Cusco FC, had a good year. The situation is still very different for each of them. Cusco FC had indeed an excellent 2025 season, ending in second place in the Peruvian First Division (Liga 1), after winning the play-off to play directly in the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage. This actually equals the best performance of the club in history, as they finished second in three other occasions (2013, 2014, and 2017), but either after losing the play-off final for the title (2013 and 2014) or without any play-offs (2017). This was the second consecutive year with Argentinian manager Miguel Rondelli, and it was even better than the previous one, so we are witnessing an era of unusual stability for Cusco FC, which pays off in terms of results.

On the other hand, Bourj finished in great style the 2024-2025 season, in 7th place, which was the best achievable in the play-out, but the club is struggling financially. In summer, the financial situation was critical, and the club was barely able to start the new season (2025-2026). At the end of the regular season, they are in 10th place, right above the relegation line, and the situation is not as bad as it was in the previous season from the point of view of the regular season, but the club is once again facing financial bankruptcy. Support is needed quickly or the team may even withdraw from the competition.

The only team playing in the second tier, Kamonyi FC of Rwanda, had a rather poor year, finishing in 9th place (out of 13 teams) in Group B of the Second Division at the end of the 2024-2025 season. The situation is not very bright either in 2025-2026.

Total Soccer have recovered a little after a very poor 2024 season. This year, they managed a better performance in the Colombian Primera C (third tier), qualifying for the knock-out stages, but they were eventually eliminated in the third round. They also had good results in the Colombian Youth League.

Fayoum SC continue their downfall, with rather mediocre results in the Egyptian Second Division B (third tier), as they finished the 2024-2025 season in 8th place (out of 11), and they are equally meandering in the lower half of the table in the 2025-2026 season.

Terrace Onions FC were equally in the lower half of the table in the Bermudian Corona League (third tier) at the end of the 2024-2025 season, and they are not any better in 2025-2026.

The worst situation has been however registered by 1. FK Svidník, which withdrew at the beginning of spring from the Slovak 4th League, and were relegated straight to the lowest existing tier, which in their case is the local Svidník League (7th tier). Although big favorites to win the league and to promote, they seem to be unable to get things right even at this very low level, and they are only 6th (out of 12) after the first half of the 2025-2026 season.

One might think that there is nothing worse than that, but there is. FK Tryavna 1922 are in fact in such a position, because this is the second consecutive year that the team has not been enrolled in any senior competition. The club still exists but only with some junior teams.

To end up on a happy note, we should highlight the fact that Maardu Linnameeskond II has been revived after several years of silence. The first team back to back promotions to the Esiliiga B and now to Esiliiga (second tier in Estonian football) triggered the need for a second team, which has been reestablished after a merger with Tallinna FC Starmedia, so now the team has a very long name: Maardu Linnameeskond II FC Starmedia. They competed in the Estonian Second League B (the fifth tier) and finished third, very close to promotion, which would surely come the next year if things will continue in the same way.

Even Maaraba SC of Syria showed some signs of life after many years of reduced activity, limited only to junior teams. Their senior team has been recently reactivated and they have even played a few friendly matches, perhaps having in view the participation to official competitions once again.

Best team

Cusco FC

Best performance

Cusco FC 2-0 Sporting Cristal (play-off final for the second place, second leg)

Best manager

Ahmad Atwi (Bourj FC)

Best player

Facundo Callejo (Cusco FC)

A Happy New Year to everyone! 

A full-size stadium might be built for Maaraba SC

The management of Maaraba SC has made important steps towards the goal of having a full-size stadium of their own. For the moment, the club only has a smaller (six-a-side) artificial field, which is meant only for mini-football and for the training of junior and youth squads of the club, while the senior team (when it existed) had to play their ”home” games on grounds far from Maaraba.

Works are already carried out around the existing six-a-side field. Photo source: Maaraba Sport Facebook page

Maaraba Sports owns a strategic piece of land located next to Maaraba highway and to the current six-a-side field. This land covers about 11 dunams (about 11,000 square meters), of which 8-9 dunams are still undeveloped and available for investment.

The club would like to find an investor for a full-size football field (stadium), an Olympic-size swimming pool, a café and recreational facilities. The project would be implemented through an official investment contract coordinated with the Directorate of Youth and Sports, for a duration that benefits both the investor and the club. During the contract period, the investor would pay an annual fee to Maaraba Sports Club, providing stable income for the club, while the investor benefits from operating and renting out the facilities. Currently, there are no such facilities in Maaraba or in the surrounding areas, which means that the project would be highly profitable.

Such facilities, and mainly the football stadium, would transform the club completely - offering a proper training environment for the players, creating steady income, and allowing Maaraba Sports Club to compete seriously in national championships. This way, the talented youth of Maaraba will have the chance to represent their home town, instead of playing for other clubs. 

In the meantime, the club has updated its crest, which now features yellow and black colours, the name Maaraba FC and the year of its establishment - 2000.

 New crest of Maaraba FC, created in October 2025. Photo source: Maaraba Sport Facebook page

We certainly hope that an investor is found and the project will be implemented as soon as possible, while in the meantime Maaraba SC (or FC) should return to senior football competitions, to have another important reason for the building of a stadium in Maaraba.

The best of 2024

The year 2024 was not one of the best for the nine teams we are writing about here: Bourj FC, Fayoum SC, Cusco FC, 1. FK Svidník, FK Tryavna 1922, Total Soccer, Maaraba SC, Kamonyi FC, and Maardu Linnameeskond II. The situation was perhaps better, at least in a part of the year, for Bourj FC, Fayoum SC, and Cusco FC. These teams are among the best performers in 2024. Kamonyi FC had a rather average year. The year is one to be forgotten for 1. FK Svidník, FK Tryavna 1922, and Total Soccer. Just like in the previous years, Maaraba SC and Maardu Linnameeskond II did not compete in this year either.

Bourj FC had a good first part of the year and finished in fourth place in the Lebanese Premier League, one of their best ever. Nevertheless, even since the start of 2024, there were rumours that the owner Fadi Nasser will leave Bourj FC, which eventually happened at the end of the 2023-2024. The club survived, with heavy losses, given that many players went away. The 2024-2025 season started in September, but only one round was played, when the season had to be suspended due to Israeli attacks and bombing. Training resumed in December, but it is yet to be confirmed if or when the Lebanese Premier League will resume.

Fayoum SC had a fairly good first part of the year, finishing in second place in Group B of the Egyptian Second Division B. However, this was not enough for promotion to the Second Division A. In the new 2024-2025 season, they started poorly and are among the bottom-classified teams, fighting for survival, instead of promotion.

Cusco FC had their best season in years, finishing in fifth place in the Peruvian Liga 1 and qualifying for the 2025 Copa Sudamericana. Manager Miguel Rondelli succeeded to create a good team, and will continue his work in 2025, as well.

Kamonyi FC had an average performance, finishing in ninth place in Group A of the 2023-2024 Rwandan Second Division. The start of the 2024-2025 season was not great either, as they are in the second half of the table at this moment.

Moving to the big disappointments of 2024, one has to point out that 1. FK Svidník were relegated at the end of the 2023-2024 season of the Slovak Third Division, East Group, as they finished last. Instead of fighting to promote back, they are involved again in the struggle to avoid relagation, this time from the Slovak Fourth League - East Group. Something has to be done quickly to stop the decline.

Even worse, FK Tryavna 1922 stopped competing altogether at senior level in 2024. They finished the 2023-2024 season of the regional Gabrovo League in second place, short of winning (again) the league, but then they did not enrol for the 2024-2025 season, a very heavy blow for football in Tryavna. The club still maintains some of its junior level teams, but the senior team should be back in business as soon as possible.

Total Soccer was another big disappointment in 2024. After two exceptional years, in which the team achieved everything that was possible at amateur level in Colombia, becoming twice champions of the Primera C, in 2024 they were eliminated from Primera C even from the first (group) stage, and they classified second to last in the Antioquia League top tier, Primera A, which will probably involve a relegation to Antioquia Primera B in 2025.

Maaraba SC and Maardu Linnameeskond II saw no action in 2024.

Best team

Cusco FC

Best performance

Alianza Lima - Cusco FC 1-2 (last round of the Peruvian First League, 3 November 2024)

Best manager

Miguel Rondelli (Cusco FC)

Best player

Ivan Colman (Cusco FC)

A Happy New Year to everyone!

The best of 2023

The year 2023 has been moderately good for most of the teams we are dealing with. The two teams which play in the top league of their country, Bourj FC (Lebanon) and Cusco FC (Peru), had a good season, classifying in the first half of the table. 

Bourj FC finished the 2022-2023 season in fifth place, not exactly what they wanted, losing the fourth place after being defeated in the last round by their archrivals, Shabab Sahel. This is a slight decline from the third place they had in 2021-2022, but still a good performance overall. They also had the opportunity to play in an international competition after almost 30 years, as they qualified to the first preliminary round of the Arab Club Champions Cup (King Salman Cup). However, they lost both legs to the much stronger team Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates, but one should point out that both matches were played away, in Abu Dhabi. Bourj FC started the 2023-2024 season very well and qualified to the play-offs for the third time in a row, in third place.

Cusco FC came back to the Peruvian First Division (Liga 1) in 2023, after one year spent in the Second Division (in 2022). They finished the season in ninth place in the aggregate table, missing the eighth position for a single point, after being defeated 3-1 in the last round by Universidad César Vallejo, which took their place and therefore qualified for the next year Copa Sudamericana. From this point of view, the 2023 season ended disappointingly. Nevertheless, they started very well and finished the Apertura (first half of the season) in fourth place. In Clausura, they had a rather poor performance, and manager Pablo Peirano was sacked with six rounds to go before the end of the season. The change did not bring the expected results. A new manager, Argentinian Miguel Rondelli has been appointed manager for 2024, and transfers are ongoing, as almost the entire 2023 squad vanished.

At the beginning of the year, the only team which competed in the second tier was Fayoum SC, of the Egyptian Second Division. However, due to structural changes in the Egyptian Second Division starting with 2023-2024, Fayoum lost their place in the Second Division. They needed to be in the top five or six in their group to qualify for the new Second Division, but instead they finished the 2022-2023 season only in 12th position in Group A and were therefore relegated to the Second Division B, the newly-created third tier in Egypt. They have not lost a single game so far in the 2023-2024 season, but they are far from the top spot in Group B of the Second Division B, which would allow them to promote to the Second Division.

In the second half of the year, former Pepiniere FC enrolled in the 2023-2024 Rwandan Second Division (Group A), under the new name of Kamonyi FC, after two years in which they did not compete officially. So far their results are good, and they are in the first half of the table.

By far, the best performance this year belongs to Total Soccer of Medellín (Colombia). Once again, they succeded to win the Colombian nation-wide Primera C, defending the title they clinched last year, in 2022. This time, it looked even easier, as they won both legs of the final over Ciamen FC of Cúcuta. It is a pity that the winners of Primera C are not allowed to promote to the professional Primera B, and Colombia is unfortunately one of the few countries in the world which does not have a proper football pyramid, and the only one in South America (and Europe) which completely separates professional football from amateur football. As long as this remains like this, Primera C would be the highest level where Total Soccer are allowed to compete as an amateur team.

In Slovakia, 1. FK Svidník are struggling to remain in the Third League (East Group). They had a fairly good first half of the year, finishing the 2022-2023 season in 10th place, with manager Vladislav Palša. Numerous changes were made in summer, including a new manager, but performance dropped in 2023-2024 and they are currently in bottom position, and if nothing changes for the better, they might expect relegation at the end of the season.

FK Tryavna 1922 won the Gabrovo Regional League in 2022-2023 but they eventually did not enroll in the 2023-2024 Bulgarian Third League (North-West Group), although they were entitled to promote and everything seemed to point in that direction. They remained in the Gabrovo League for 2023-2024, where they are of course involved in the fight for the top spot.

Two teams, Maardu Linnameeskond II (Estonia) and Maaraba SC (Syria) saw no action this year.

 

Best team 

Total Soccer

Best performance 

Ciamen - Total Soccer 1-2 (second leg of the Primera C final)

Best manager

Juan Gabriel Sepúlveda (Total Soccer)

Best player

Felipe ”Felucho” Rodríguez (Cusco FC)

The best of 2022

The year 2022 was a successful one for most of the teams we are dealing with. Bourj FC, Cusco FC and especially Total Soccer achieved very good results, Fayoum SC classified mid-table as usual, while 1. FK Svidník miraculously remained in the Third Division. At the opposite end, OFK Tryavna was suspended by the Bulgarian Football Union, and a phoenix club, FK Tryavna 1922, emerged in summer to take its place in Gabrovo Regional League. Pepiniere FC and Maaraba SC saw no action this year.

The only team that played in the top league of their country, Bourj FC, succeeded to classify third in the 2021-2022 Lebanese League, which equals their best result ever. The 2022-2023 season started very well, with a winning streak, but results got poorer towards the end of the year, and they finished only fifth in the final table of the regular season. However, Bourj FC qualified for the championship play-offs to be played in 2023, and the gaps are very small, so they might be able to achieve a good performance in 2022-2023 as well.

Cusco FC were relegated to the Peruvian Second Division in the beginning of 2022, as a consequence of a CAS decision. This was their first season in the Second Division ever, after 10 years in the top flight. They promoted to the Peruvian First Division in 2011 by winning Copa Peru. In the Second Division, Cusco FC dominated clearly the competition, winning both tournaments, Apertura and Clausura, and promoted back to the First Division without the need for a play-off.

Fayoum SC had a regular 2021-2022 season in the Egyptian Second Division, with the usual change of managers. There was some stress regarding relegation, but the team eventually finished in a comfortable ninth position. The 2022-2023 is however different, as they have to classify among the top five (or six) to get a place in the future Second Division A. The start of the season was rather poor and they are classified only in 13th place after 12 rounds (almost half of the season), with slim chances to get to the needed upper places in the table. Not impossible though.

The best performance of the year 2022 came from Total Soccer, which participated for the first time in the Colombian Primera C, the third tier in Colombia, and the highest league available for amateur teams. They succeeded to win the competition (which involved hundreds of teams), after some dramatic matches in the knock-out rounds.

1. FK Svidník had a very good second half of the 2021-2022 season, but only classified 11th, which seemed not enough to participate in the new format of the Slovakian Third League. However, they were eventually allowed to participate. They are now struggling to survive in this new league, with a lot of stronger teams than before.

OFK Tryavna were suspended by the Bulgarian Football Union in March 2022, when they were leaders of the Gabrovo Regional League and were heading towards promotion to the Bulgarian Third League. The decision came as a big surprise, as many other clubs were suspended too, for participating in an allegedly illegal meeting organized by Dimitar Berbatov, the opposition candidate to the presidency of the Bulgarian Football Union. The club had to reorganize, and a phoenix club was born in summer 2022, named FK Tryavna 1922, which enrolled in the 2022-2023 Gabrovo Regional League. They are now leaders in the league after half season, and are looking forward to promotion in the Third League.

Pepiniere FC did not enrol in any competition in 2022. There were talks to change their name into Kamonyi FC and to become a team supported by Kamonyi regional government, and to enrol in the 2022-2023 Rwandan Second Division as such. However, nothing came out of it, as the 2022-2023 Rwandan Second Division started without either Pepiniere FC or Kamonyi FC.

The same holds true for Maaraba SC, whose football team was inactive in 2022.

Best team

Total Soccer

 

Best performance

Total Soccer - Equipo Azul 2-1 (second leg of the Colombian Primera C final)

Best manager

Pablo Peirano (Cusco FC)

Best player

Khaled Takaji (Bourj FC)

The best of 2021

2021 has been the year when things have slowly come back to ”normal”, although we are still quite far away from the normality we had before the pandemic. The eight teams that we are concerned with (so far) - Bourj FC, Fayoum SC, Cusco FC, 1. FK Svidník, OFK Tryavna, Total Soccer, Maaraba SC and Pepiniere FC - had very different achievements. However, the word ”achievement” might be too much for some of them, that achieved nothing or were relegated.

The best performance by far belong to Bourj FC. They finished 7th in the 2020-2021 season of the Lebanese League, and reached the semifinals of the Lebanese FA Cup twice, once in spring, and once recently, and they are still competing for the 2021-2022 Cup. Their biggest performance came in summer, when they won the Challenge Cup again, thus retaining it (the last Challenge Cup was held in 2019, when Bourj FC were also winners). Bourj FC are undefeated in the 2021-2022 season of the Lebanese League, are classified fourth after seven rounds, and have high hopes of classifying in the top six after eleven rounds, to compete in the championship play-off.

Most of the other teams were involved in the fight to avoid relegation. One exception has been Fayoum SC, which had a decent 2020-2021 season, as they finished sixth, and had a remarkable run of eight consecutive matches in which they were undefeated and therefore went out of the fight to avoid relegation. The 2021-2022 season started quite well for them, although they again changed the head coach, and had another series of seven matches (in a row) undefeated, and are now also sixth in the table of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A.

Total Soccer had an excellent year in terms of the senior team, which participated in the Primera A of the Antioquia Football League (one of the regional leagues in Colombia). Unfortunately, the Colombian Youth Championship was not held this year, and Total Soccer did not enroll for the nation-wide Primera C, so all their efforts were dedicated to the Antioquia Football League. They finished top of the table in Stage 1 of the competition, then they had a good performance in the following stages, and reached the final of the tournament, where they however lost 1-0 to Águilas Doradas B (the main team of which plays in the nation-wide Primera A). So, Total Soccer are vice-champions of the Antioquia Football League in their first complete year, as they have just promoted in 2019, and the 2020 season was interrupted.

The other teams fought for survival in their leagues. Cusco FC had an unexpectedly difficult year and they succeeded to save themselves from relegation in the very last round, also with some luck due to other results. It was the worse year in their history, and to change that, the club management seem to prepare very well the next season, including several outstanding transfers. The 2022 Peruvian First Division will start soon, in January, and teams are expected to play the home games on their own grounds, at last. This might be another advantage for Cusco FC, due to altitude.

1. FK Svidník were also saved from relegation, due to a combination of facts, including their classification (second to last), and the fact that another team withdrew for the 2021-2022 season, so they were allowed to enroll for the Slovak Third Division, East Group, again, as first below the relegation line. However, their season so far was disastrous, as they have no point whatsoever. Another miracle might be needed for them to stay for one more year in the Third Division.

OFK Tryavna, on the other hand, did not survive in the Bulgarian Third Division, North-West Group. Their spring part of the 2020-2021 season was awful, and they finished last. However, there are big plans for a come-back, as the 2021-2022 season of the regional Gabrovo League started off well, and they are top of the table so far, so they might be back in the Third Division in 2022 if everything goes smoothly.

There are worrying signs for Pepiniere FC. They participated in the very short season of the 2020-2021 Rwandan Second Division, finishing last in their group. However, the main cause for worry is that they did not enroll for the 2021-2022 Second Division, which is played in normal format, and for the moment they are not enrolled in any competition, as far as we know. The same is true for Maaraba SC, but in their case, the situation seems to be the same for some time.

Best team

Bourj FC

Best performance

Bourj FC - AC Tripoli 4-2 (Challenge Cup final)

Best manager

Juan Gabriel Sepúlveda (Total Soccer)

Best player

Mahmoud Kamal ”Schmeichel” (Fayoum SC)

A Happy New Year to everyone!

Maaraba SC related videos

This post is meant to gather in one place all the available videos concerning Maaraba SC, a team from Maaraba (Syria) whose football department was founded in 2015 and has played in the Syrian Third Division. Links are provided to available videos, unfortunately only two videos have been found (on Facebook) so far. Videos are ordered chronologically.

1 December 2015 (friendly)

Al Majd Damascus (youth team) - Maaraba SC (score unknown)  Highlights

27 August 2016 (Rif Dimashq Governor's Cup, quarter-finals)

Zakiyah - Maaraba SC 4-3 Highlights

Maaraba SC

Maaraba SC

 

Maaraba Sports Club (in Arabic: نادي معربا الرياضي) is a multi-sports club based in the town of Maaraba, a suburb of Damascus, capital of Syria, in Rif Dimashq Governorate. The club was established in the 1980s, but the football team has been added only in 2015, and since then they have intermittently competed in the Syrian Third League and other local competititions at the level of Rif Dimashq Governorate. The club is run by an Executive Committee, whose president is Ahmed Mohamed Khader Othman. They have their own synthetic mini-football ground, named Al Sadasi, located in Fistuqa neighbourhood of Maaraba, used only for training and for the academy. There is also a normal-sized ground on rammed earth in Maaraba, but it is only used for unofficial games and training. The senior team have played its league matches either at Al Feyha Stadium in Damascus or in other locations in and around Damascus. They use different colours, but most recently the kits have been blue with pink sleeves.

Maaraba SC in 2017. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

History

 

The club has been established since the 1980s, but the football department has only been added in 2015, at the initiative of the club president, Ahmed Mohamed Khader Othman. When enough players gathered to have a football team, guided by the manager Nabil Al Hanash,  several friendly matches were played in December 2015 and January 2016. On 1 December 2015, the first friendly game was played against the youth team of Al Majd in Damascus. On 4 December 2015, in another friendly, Maaraba succeeded their first win, 5-2 over Al Midan.

 

Maaraba SC team before their first win over Al Midan, December 2015. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

The good results proved that the team was prepared to play in official matches, so president Ahmed Mohamed Khader Othman enrolled the team in the forthcoming 2015-2016 Syrian Third Division, to be played in January and February 2016.

 

Maaraba SC in January 2016. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

Maaraba SC was placed in a group with other three Rif Dimashq teams, Al Nabek, Jayroud and Jdeidet Artouz. On 28 January 2016 they played their first official game in the Syrian Third Division, which they lost 3-0 away to Al Nabek. They also lost the other two games, against Jayroud and Jdeidet Artouz, and therefore classified last in their group.

 

Maaraba SC players and staff in February 2016. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

In April 2016, Maaraba also played their first official game in the preliminary round of the Syrian Cup, which they lost 4-0 to Al Horjelah.

In August 2016, Maaraba participated for the first time in the Rif Dimashq Governorate Cup. They were placed in Group 3, together with hosts Jaramana (all matches were played in Jaramana), Al Shabiba and Al Qalamoun. They lost 3-2 their first match to Al Shabiba, but then they succeeded a convincing 6-0 win over Al Qalamoun, which gave them the second place in the group on goal difference, despite losing the last match to Jaramana, and taking advantage of a surprising win of Al Qalamoun over Al Shabiba. As such, Maaraba qualified for the quarter-finals of this competition, but they lost 4-3 to Zakiyah.

 

Maaraba SC in August 2016. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

Club president Ahmed Mohamed Khader Othman started the preparations for the 2016-2017 season with a new manager, Emad Alhaj, and other players came in, joining the already existing squad. Young players (born in 1992 and after) were preferred for the senior team, while several junior teams have been also set up and enrolled in different local competitions. The club was however hampered by the absence of a normal-sized ground in Maaraba, and all the training sessions took place on the synthetic mini-football ground called Al Sadasi, belonging to the club. Friendly matches were therefore played away. Some of the players were also involved with the Maaraba SC futsal team, which had good results in the futsal league, in December 2016 and January 2017, eventually classifying for the Syrian Second Division in futsal.

The number of friendly matches increased at the beginning of 2017, as the 2016-2017 Syrian Third Division was scheduled to begin in mid-February 2017. All matches of the Rif Dimashq Group were played on Al Feyha Stadium in Damascus. In their first match of the new season, Maaraba lost 5-0 to Al Horjelah on 15 February 2017, but then, on 25 February 2017, they obtained their first win in the competition, 5-2 over Al Ghazlaniya, the goals being scored by Bilal Harb (2), Mohammed Abdullah (2) and Maher Al Husami.

 

 

Maaraba SC at Al Feyha Stadium in Damascus, before their match against Al Ghazlaniya on 25 February 2017. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

Nevertheless, they lost the other two games against Al Qalamoun and Qara in March, and therefore only classified fourth in their group. It is worth mentioning that the group winners, Al Horjelah, promoted to the Second Divison, and then they got successive promotions, reaching the Syrian Premier League in 2020, therefore becoming the first team in Rif Dimashq Governorate to play in the Syrian top division.

In 2017, the junior teams of Maaraba SC received much attention and the club even organized a tournament for juniors born in 2000 or after.

In September 2017, the senior team participated again in the Rif Dimashq Governorate Cup, and obtained several good results, including two wins, 5-2 over Al Ghazlaniya and 11-1 over Irbin, under manager Mohamed Al Abrash.

 

Maaraba SC players (in blue) attacking. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

At the end of the tournament, the Maaraba player Mohammed Ahmed Abdullah was awarded by the organizers for his abilities.

In autumn 2017 and winter 2017-2018 several friendly matches were played, in preparation for the 2017-2018 Third Division season, but no news regarding the results of this season have emerged. In 2019, Maaraba SC participated in the futsal Second Division, but it is unclear whether they participated or not in the football Third Division. It is possible that the ongoing Syrian civil war, along with the economic and financial problems, impeded the club to enrol in all competitions.

In December 2019, Maaraba SC organized a tournament for children, won by the organizers, Maaraba SC, managed by Abed Hamra Abu Ahmed, followed by Al Tall, Marouna and Ain Menin. Four, then five children belonging to Maaraba SC have been called up in the first months of 2020 to the Rif Dimashq Governorate team.

 

Maaraba SC junior team (children born in 2008 and 2009) which won the tournament in December 2019, together with coach Abed Hamra Abu Ahmed. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

After March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic affected the whole world, football activities have been reduced. Nevertheless, a football academy for children, called Alqimma Sports Academy, under the management of Abed Hamra Abu Ahmed, has been established in June 2020, headquartered at Al Sadasi ground of Maaraba SC. Many kids enrolled and therefore the future of football seems to be ensured.

At the same time, senior players organized unofficial local leagues, or neighbourhood championships, at an unofficial football ground in Maaraba, on rammed earth, which has been adjusted to be close to the proper size of a normal football ground. Maaraba SC president Ahmed Mohamed Khader Othman has also been involved in the works carried out at this new ground, despite the rather primitive conditions in which football is played.

 

Match played in the neighbourhood championship of Maaraba on the new football ground in January 2021. Source: Maaraba Sports Facebook page.

 

The unofficial local Maaraba league, known as the ”neighbourhood championship”, attracted a lot of interest and matches are highly disputed and the audience is ever larger. The presence of former or present Maaraba SC players is a trigger for others to join in and for the local authorities to get involved in the design of proper facilities and improvements at the footbal ground, which one day may turn into a stadium.

It is therefore quite obvious that Maaraba SC has now better reasons to enrol the senior team in the Syrian lower leagues than before, as football has grown and continued to develop a lot in the town of Maaraba in recent years.

 

Results season by season

 

2020-2021: it is not known whether the Syrian Third Division will take place

2019-2020: results unknown, possibly Maaraba SC did not enroll in the Third Division

2018-2019: results unknown, possibly Maaraba SC did not enroll in the Third Division

2017-2018: results unknown, possibly Maaraba SC did not enroll in the Third Division

                   Rif Dimashq Governorate Cup, Group 2: at least two wins, other results unknown

2016-2017: Syrian Third Division, Group 2: 4^th (out of 5) 4 1 0 3 (unknown goal difference) 3 pts

                   Rif Dimashq Governorate Cup, Group 3: 2^nd (out of 4) 4 1 0 3 ….. 3 points

                                    Lost 4-3 to Zakiyah in the quarter-finals

2015-2016: Syrian Third Division, Group ?: 4^th (last, out of 4) 3 0 0 3 ….. 0 points

                    Syrian Cup: lost 4-0 to Al Harjaleh in the preliminary round

 

Stadium

 

The club does not have a proper stadium for home matches. They have a synthetic mini-football ground, Al Sadasi, in the Fistuqa area of the town of Maaraba, where the club headquarters are also located, along with other amenities. The ground is only used for training and for the junior teams of the club, and has lighting.

 

Al Sadasi synthetic ground, during a tournament for children in December 2019. The club headquarters are in the building behind. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

More recently, a second synthetic ground has been set up side by side to the original one, so right now there are two grounds at Al Sadasi, which provide a better schedule for training sessions.

 

Al Sadasi synthetic ground at night. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

The senior team has played its official matches elsewhere, in Damascus or in the surroundings. As this problem also affects other clubs in the lower leagues, usually all league matches are scheduled on the same ground. For instance, all the matches in the 2016 Rif Dimashq Governorate Cup, Group 3, were played in Jaramana. All the matches of the 2016-2017 Syrian Third Division, Group 2, were played at Al Feyha Stadium in Damascus.

However, in recent years, a rammed earth ground has been set up in Maaraba, close to the proper size for a football ground. Maaraba SC has contributed to the works for this ground, and it is expected that this ground, if properly designed and supported by the local authorities, may become the official football ground of the town and for Maaraba SC.

 

Unofficial football ground in Maaraba (January 2021), where matches of the local neighbourhoods championship take place. Source: Maaraba Sports Facebook page

 

The high interest shown by the locals for the unofficial local championship between neighbourhoods is a good sign for the future of football in Maaraba, which connects very well with the creation of Alqimma Sports Academy for children at Al Sadasi in 2020.

 

Crest

 

The club has a round crest, which is set around a white-grey vertical monument in the shape of two unequal hexagonal towers rising from a common pedestal, in the background, with an aesthetically rounded flag of Syria (red, white and black, with two green stars) and a stylized black running athlete below, in the foreground.

All the symbols in the foreground are surrounded by two olive tree branches, forming an olive wreath, with green leaves and black olive fruits. The two branches start from below, where they are united by the five Olympic rings. Above, the highest leaves nearly touch each other. The background vertical towers rise above the olive wreath.

The name of the club, written in Arabic in three words, is stylized. The first two words of the club name appear above the olive wreath, to the left and right of the towers. The last word of the club name is written below the Olympic rings and the olive wreath.

 

 

 

Kit colours

 

The club has no definite colours and therefore they used various kits throughout the years. Since August 2016, blue kits with pink sleeves have been used for the senior team, in official games.

 

Maaraba SC in blue kits and pink sleeves. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

In the first half of 2016, they used grey shirts with some yellow on the sides and shoulders, and white shorts and socks.

 

Maaraba SC in grey shirts and white shorts and socks in 2016. Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

Other colours have also been used from time and time and for different teams within the club. For instance, green shirts with orange sleeves and white shorts and socks were used in the first friendly matches in December 2015. The junior teams used a large variety of colours for their kits. The futsal team played in electric yellow-green shirts and black shorts and socks in 2016-2017 and in red shirts and socks and white shorts in 2019.

 

Maaraba SC futsal team in red shirts and white shorts (July 2019). Source: Maaraba SC Facebook page

 

The kit sponsors are Adidas. There are no shirt sponsors. The shirts usually wear the flag of Syria and the club crest in the upper top half.

 

Players

 

Mohamed Adeeb Abdul Karim (Abu Saleh) – goalkeeper

Fadi Al Kurdi – goalkeeper

Ahmed Abdel Karim (Abu Amin) – defender

Wissam Qishani – defender

Firas Walid Al-Khatib

Mohamed Nour Mohamed Farroukh – left back

Mohamed Mansour Sednawi

Jihad Essam Ammouna – midfielder

Omar Muammar Al-Hanash – midfielder

Faras Al Khaled

Walid Al-Hanoon

Safwan Bakeer – midfielder

Walid Ahmed Al Milhani – right winger

Bilal Harb – forward (team captain)

Mohamed Ahmed Abdullah (Abu Hassan) – forward

Maher Al-Husami

Karam Al Abrash

Omar Bin Marjah

 

Notable juniors

 

Mohammed Samer Bakir

Ghanem Talal Abdul Karim

Abdul Samer Al-Zaiti

Ayham Hammouda

Muhammad Muhammad Harb

 

Managers and staff

 

Ahmed Mohamed Khader Othman – club president

Mohamed Al-Abrash – manager of the senior team (since 2017)

Abed Hamra Abu Ahmed – manager of the junior teams

Riad Ezzarjal – media coordinator and therapist

 

Notable former players

 

Ahmed Rajab

Mansour

Abu Abdo Alaa Ofadi Alkurdi

 

Former managers

 

Nabil Al Hanash (2015-2016)

Emad Alhaj (2016-2017)

 

Sources:

 

Maaraba SC Facebook page (mostly in Arabic)

Maaraba Sport Facebook page (mostly in Arabic)

Al-Baath (in Arabic)

Maaraba village Facebook page (mostly in Arabic)

GSF Sport (in Arabic)